COVID-19 UPDATES
Since yesterday’s update, Public Health -- Seattle & King County (Public Health) is reporting these numbers as of today:
- 131 new positive cases of COVID-19 (107,593 total).
- 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,559 total)
- 18 new hospitalizations (6,059 to date)
To view a breakdown of COVID-19 cases by race and ethnicity (updated on Mondays), click this link. Click here to view the “Key Indicators” data dashboard.
Statewide, according to the state Department of Health (DOH), as of yesterday:
-Total number of confirmed positive cases is 389,882; the total number of probable cases is 32,783 for a total of 422,665 cases.
- The total number of deaths statewide is 5,622
- The total number of hospitalizations is 23,187
COVID AND OTHER UPDATES
Quote of the Day: “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt, from “You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life”
Questions, confusion about CDC’s new mask guidance
 As I mentioned above, there has been plenty of confusion over the CDC’s seemingly abrupt change on mask-wearing for fully vaccinated people (note: this guidance does not apply to health care settings). Below are a few articles that look at the implications of the new CDC guidance, including some words of caution.
- Mask mandates might be going away, but don’t ditch yours just yet, scientists caution – Stat News
- What does the new mask guidance really mean? - The New York Times
- The new mask guidance relies on an honor system. Do we trust each other enough to make it work? - The Washington Post
- Hundreds of epidemiologists expected mask-wearing in public for at least a year - The New York Times
- Vaccinated Residents Start To Remove Masks As Washington State Sees 4th COVID-19 Wave – NPR
- To wear or not to wear? New CDC mask guidance causing confusion – KOMO News
Vax to the future! Making vaccinations fun with the performing arts
 The Public Health Insider blog is reporting on an innovative new approach that uses the performing arts (think dance, music and even visual arts!) to encourage vaccinations – by making the process fun. Read the full story here. You may also be interested in this article from the Daily Hive: Seattle and King County vaccination sites to become festival-like.
Vaccinating younger teens
 As you may remember, last week the CDC and FDA authorized emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine with 12-15 year olds. More information on this development follows.
- What parents should know about vaccination for 12-15 year olds – Public Health Insider blog
- What families need to know now that younger teens are COVID vaccine eligible in Washington state – The Seattle Times
- Counties work with local school districts to administer COVID vaccines to young people – KNKX
- State Department of Health releases updated K-12 school guidance - DOH
Mental health resources
 This is a stressful time. There are still many unknowns about the pandemic and many people are experiencing anxiety about re-opening, unvaccinated co-workers, and other issues. Included below are some articles and resources that may be helpful.
- Where to find diverse mental health resources in Seattle – The Seattle Times
- Black mental health matters: Culturally relevant resources are available in King County – The Public Health Insider blog
- King County Mental Health Services – County webpage
Reopening can be tricky
 Photo by Melanie Lim, Unsplash
Business owners – as well as the rest of us – face some difficult choices as we prepare for a more open, pre-COVID-like society. See this Seattle Times article on tough choices faced by local businesses: As some Seattle-area businesses celebrate COVID reopening, others fret over new dilemmas.
Rental assistance application process for tenants opens today
Today, King County is starting the next round of the Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance Program (EPRAP). (Assistance applications for landlords opened on April 28 and is now closed.) The tenant program helps people experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19 who are at risk of housing instability or homelessness. For information see this page.
This week at the Council
Tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.: Consideration of the County’s first omnibus supplemental budget
The Council’s Budget and Fiscal Management Committee, which I chair, will be meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, May 18 at 9:30 a.m. to take up consideration of the County’s first omnibus supplemental budget for the 2021-2022 biennium.
The public is welcome to view the (virtual) meeting and submit public comments. For instructions on viewing the meeting and submitting comments, and to view the agenda and meeting materials, see this page.
Tomorrow at 1 p.m.: Full Council meeting
The full Council will meet tomorrow at 1 p.m. We had planned to take up the seventh COVID emergency budget at this meeting, but I will request a one-week courtesy delay to allow time for amendments to be fully considered.
The Council will also recognize Syttende Mai (May 17th), Norwegian Constitution Day, and Norway’s links to Ballard, Seattle and King County. I was very pleased to take part in the Syttende Mai virtual celebration today (my speaking part starts at around 1:08:00 on the Youtube link.) As someone of Norwegian descent, this celebration means a lot to me every year and I was very thankful to be able to take part in it this year, even virtually!
The public is welcome to view the (virtual) meeting and submit public comments. For instructions on viewing the meeting and submitting comments, and to view the agenda and meeting materials, see this page.
Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.: Briefing on County’s COVID-19 response
 Committee members will receive a briefing provided by County Budget Director Dwight Dively at the next meeting of the Council’s Committee of the Whole, this Wednesday May 19th at 9:30 a.m. And action on my legislation on banning the use of facial recognition technology by King County government will also be taken up.
The public is welcome to view the (virtual) meeting and submit public comments. For instructions on viewing the meeting and submitting comments, and to view the agenda and meeting materials, see this page.
How a new federal rule change may make access to treatment for opioid use disorder easier
 On April 27, the Department of Health and Human Services announced new regulatory changes for prescribing buprenorphine for opioid use disorder (OUD). See this article in the Public Health Insider blog to learn more about the new rule change and how it may impact treatment access in our community.
Thursday at 5 p.m.: Murdered and missing Native American women: Tearing the fabric of generations
The Center for Women and Democracy invites the public to a conversation that focuses on the epidemic violence directed towards Native girls and women and more specifically the missing and murdered Native girls and women who are often ignored by law enforcement and the media but whose memories are kept alive by their families. For more information and to register, see this page.
DID YOU KNOW?
... that the King of Norway visited Ballard in 1995 and 2015, due to the neighborhood’s close ties to Norwegian and other Nordic cultures? See photographs from the 2015 visit here at The Seattle Times, or read the full background of how Seattle and King County – and especially Ballard – became so closely associated with Nordic culture here at History Link. I was pleased to escort Queen Sonja around town for two days during their 1995 visit.
Happy Syttende Mai!
Additional helpful and informative links
- Live: Coronavirus daily news updates, May 17: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle, Washington State, and the world – The Seattle Times
- Sanofi, GSK announce positive early results for their COVID-19 vaccine candidate – Stat News
- Virus testing strategies, opinions vary widely in US schools – AP News
- Opinion: Vaccines probably don’t work on me. So I must rely on others to beat COVID-19. - The Washington Post
- Glimmer of hope seen in India, but virus crisis not over yet – AP News
- A year into COVID-19, medical oxygen scarcity still costing lives – PATH news
- Lab accident or jump from animals? Hutch virus expert calls for a new probe of COVID-19’s origins – The Seattle Times
- ‘My body just ate itself’: KIRO Radio’s Chris Sullivan reveals serious battle with COVID-19- Newsbreak
- Student-led project improves COVID-19 testing efficiency – UW News
- Policymakers Used to Ignore Child Care. Then Came the Pandemic. – The New York Times
- It’s more than past time we talk about the invisible labor of women – The Seattle Times
- How a Seattle line cook found community during COVID-19 by creating a restaurant industry cookbook – The Seattle Times
- This Seattle restaurant was just named one of the top 12 best new restaurants in the world – The Seattle Times
- Get a history refresher on this walking tour of Seattle’s Japanese American Remembrance Trail – The Seattle Times
Today’s moment of inspiration
 Today The Seattle Times shared the story of What We Experience Magazine, a magazine highlighting the unique stories of Asian American individuals that was started by local teens Jeenah Gwak and Hope Yu. This quarterly magazine is run with a team of youth volunteers. I think it’s wonderful that this youth-led magazine is set on telling these stories, and would encourage you to take a look at the article or website.
Keep in touch
Thank you again for taking the time to read my updates, which I am now sending out on Mondays and Thursdays. Feel free to forward them to others who can subscribe by clicking here. And you can click here to visit the archive page where you can find all of my previous enews updates.
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